U.S.

U.S. lawmakers have put off immigration reform for a decade because nobody could agree on how best to regulate the flow. They still can’t, as Washington’s recent scramble to craft a fix attests. But the stark disparity between job opportunities and living standards in America and many poor countries has resulted in such an influx...

For over 50 years, the U.S. and the world have reaped the economic benefits of gradual liberalization in trade and investment. Recognizing the benefits of open trade, the U.S. government has been a leading advocate of trade liberalization. Today however, the place of free trade in American policymaking is far from secure. Rising protectionist sentiment […]

It is no secret that world opinion of the United States and its policies is unfavorable. Yet, the Bush administration—with cajoling from Congress—is exacerbating those perceptions with an astonishingly antagonistic trade policy posture. The United States has become an international trade scofflaw...

<p>Despite more than five decades of evidence demonstrating the gains from liberalizing trade, the impact of international trade and open markets on the U.S. economy remains a hotly debated issue. In 2005, Congress considered renewing the President’s trade promotion authority, withdrawing from the World Trade Organization (WTO), and approving the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade [&hellip;]</p>

<p>If there is one thing about America that inspires the rest of the world, it is its level of economic freedom. Or at least it used to. According to the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, published jointly by The Heritage Foundation and &#8220;The Wall Street Journal,&#8221; the U.S. is no longer among the world’s 10 [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Increasing economic opportunity and strengthening homeland security are the two major goals of the U.S. government. Advancing free trade is essential to reaching both of these goals. Hence, the Bush Administration and Congress should be praised for significantly advancing free trade with Australia, Morocco, Chile and Singapore. The U.S. now has an even more important [&hellip;]</p>

The United States always has been a leading proponent of free trade. However, many now believe this leadership position is at stake—especially since U.S. willingness to accept World Trade organization (WTO) rulings is questioned. For example, both WTO and NAFTA committees have ruled that Canadian lumber subsidization evidence is insufficient. Nevertheless, the U.S. continues...

International trade is a primary generator of business growth in the U.S. And millions of higher-paying, higher-skilled jobs are dependent on it. Importantly, companies that export grow faster and fail less often than companies that don’t. What’s more, their workers and communities are better off. Unfortunately, many Members of Congress have made trade the scapegoat...

International trade is a primary generator of business growth in Western New York. And a tremendous number of jobs are dependent on it. How do we know this?

Are the U.S. government’s new antiterrorism policies and regulations for cross-border commerce serving, in effect, as non-tariff barriers? If so, are they trumping the long-standing objective of maintaining a relatively open and easily crossed international border between the U.S. and Canada? What are the principal costs involved in complying with the new security mandates? And, [&hellip;]

Like so many other aspects of our lives, the way goods move into and out of the United States changed forever on September 11, 2001. In just over three years, a layered regulatory framework has descended upon intermodal trade with the dual goal of increased supply chain security and efficient commerce. Given a patient and [&hellip;]

FAQ: What are the costs of protectionism? Talking Points: Although in some instances protectionism may help fledgling industries for limited periods of time, current and decades-old studies indicate that protectionism actually has severe negative consequences. Reducing the number of imports through the use of trade barriers only raises the costs of goods and services...

What will global trends and likely U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) actions mean to supply chain managers in the years ahead? And how should they prepare? First, assuming a constant terrorist threat to commerce, the number of container inspections will increase significantly around the world. CBP’s goals of expanding CSI and making container targeting [&hellip;]

Amid this geopolitical backdrop of the coming decade, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issues to contend with that hit close to home. In the urgency of adoption, the 24-Hour Rule and container targeting inherited a number of weak points that the agency must shore up if it is to achieve its goal [&hellip;]

Since day one, as world traders and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alike will admit, the 24-Hour Rule and container targeting have been far from perfect in design and implementation. In the weeks following 9/11, CBP didn’t have the luxury of time in formulating a grand design for cargo security. Instead, the agency [&hellip;]

It’s daybreak at a major Asian seaport and there’s a dirty bomb in a shipping container. The sealed container looks exactly like the thousands of worn boxes that move in and out of the port each day on truck and train. And aside from a single lead-lined crate that conceals the deadly explosive, there is [&hellip;]

After the tragedy of September 11th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and its government partners implemented several intermodal cargo security initiatives to defend against an attack that could devastate the U.S. economy. Chief among these initiatives is a system designed to pinpoint and inspect cargo containers that may pose a terrorist threat. The system [&hellip;]

Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the World Bank projected U.S. and other OECD country growth to reach 1.1% in 2001 and to 2.2% in 2002. However, since September 11th, the 2002 projection has been modified downward by .75-1.25 percentage points — and this is assuming business resumes to normal by mid 2002. Projections...

Decisions that shape the future of Western New York are made every day in Washington, D.C., but few will have as much impact on the economic well-being of local companies, employees and their families as Trade Promotion Authority legislation. TPA is the legislative mechanism that gives our trade negotiators credibility at the international negotiating table [&hellip;]

What is the single most important act that our government can perform this year to assure the continuation of the record economic prosperity we&#8217;ve enjoyed throughout most of the past decade and into the new century? You might say tweak the prime rate or cut taxes. However, there is one thing upon which we can...